“The history of Koloa is in many ways Hawai‘i’s history in microcosm.” (Wilcox) The focus of interest is the region‘s history and the role this area played in helping to shape Hawaiʻi‘s socio-economic past, present and future.

The South Shore of the island of Kauai has many scenic, natural and recreational qualities that travelers may experience and enjoy. Along the coastal area of Poʻipu there are popular beaches for swimming, surfing, snorkeling, scuba or sunset watching.

You enter the historic Old Koloa Town and Poʻipu Beach, Kaua‘i’s premier resort destination, through a tree-formed tunnel. The native Hawaiian history, archaeology and culture can be seen throughout the area and are the foundation of the historic events that followed.

Scattered throughout the area are remnants of pre-contact ancient Hawaiʻi life in the forms of heiau (Hawaiian temples) the Koloa Field System (agricultural) and culturally-significant natural geologic features in the forms of peaks, hills, streams, caves, bays and coastal features.

The native Hawaiians along the Koloa shore were the first to see the white man in Hawaiʻi. It was in 1778, along Kaua‘i’s South Shore, that Captain James Cook first traveled, landed and made “contact”, introducing Hawaiʻi to the rest of the world. His arrival was the beginning of multiple changes in Hawai‘i’s socio-economic framework.

Koloa Landing at Hanakaʻape Bay (the Kingdom’s first Royal Port of Entry) became the favored and major port of call on the island – because of the ability to maneuver in and out of the anchorage – whatever the wind direction, and the region had ample water and food crops to provision the ships. This led to a series of economic activities that shaped the history of the islands.

One of the first exports from Hawaiʻi was sandalwood trees that grew throughout the islands; exported primarily to China. Sandalwood was a desirable cash crop in Hawaiʻi because it could be harvested year round and did not have to be irrigated or cultivated.

Starting in 1790, trade in Hawaiian sandalwood became an important export item. As trade and shipping brought Hawaiʻi into contact with a wider world, it also enabled the acquisition of Western goods, including arms and ammunition, by the Hawaiian leaders.

However, by 1830, the trade in sandalwood had completely collapsed for two reasons: Hawaiian forests were exhausted and sandalwood from other areas drove down the price in China which made the Hawaiian trade unprofitable.

On October 23, 1819, the first group of missionaries from the northeastern United States set sail on the Thaddeus for the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawai‘i.) There were seven couples sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to convert the Hawaiians to Christianity.

With them were four Hawaiian youths who had been students at the Foreign Mission School, including Prince Humehume (son of Kauai’s King Kaumuali‘i.) In modern times, three churches on Poʻipu Road all trace their roots to the same Christian denomination – Congregational.

Hawai‘i’s whaling era began in 1819 and replaced the sandalwood trade. At that time, whale oil was used for heating, lamps and in industrial machinery; whale bone was used in corsets, skirt hoops, umbrellas and buggy whips.

Whalers, seeking water and food supplies, called at Koloa Landing, the Island’s foremost port. Koloa was a center for agriculture and, as such, became the center of activity for Kauai. The whaling industry was the mainstay of the islands’ economy for about 40 years.

Sugar gradually replaced sandalwood and whaling in the mid-19th century and became the principal industry in the islands. The early Polynesian settlers to Hawaiʻi brought sugar cane with them and demonstrated that it could be grown successfully.

In 1835, the first commercially-viable sugar plantation was started in Hawaiʻi at Koloa. Other plantations soon followed. Sugar was the dominant economic force in Hawaiʻi for over a century. Several sites found in this area highlight the historic past of the sugar economy.

Koloa Plantation was the birthplace of the Hawaiian sugar industry. By 1883, more than 50 plantations were producing sugar on five islands.

However, during this growth, a shortage of laborers to work in the growing sugar plantations became a challenge; the only answer was imported labor. It is not likely anyone then foresaw the impact this would have on the cultural and social structure of the islands.

Starting in the 1850s, when the Hawaiian Legislature passed “An Act for the Governance of Masters and Servants,” labor shortages were eased by bringing in contract workers from Asia, Europe and North America.

Sugar changed the social fabric of Hawai‘i. Of the nearly 385,000 workers that came, many thousands stayed to become a part of Hawai‘i’s unique ethnic mix. Hawai‘i continues to be one of the most culturally-diverse and racially-integrated places on the planet.

Old Koloa Town grew up around the Plantation industry. Plantation workers not only labored, lived and shopped on the plantation, they also received medical care. Koloa’s buildings housed plantation stores, services and churches for these people, including Kauai’s first hotel.

When Hawaiʻi became a US territory, at the turn of the century, it drew adventuresome cruise ship travelers in a tourism boom. Hotels blossomed.

1959 brought two significant actions that shaped the present day economic make-up of Hawai‘i, Statehood and jet-liner service between the mainland United States and Honolulu. These two events helped guide and expand the fledgling visitor industry.

Tourism is the activity most responsible for Hawaiʻi’s recent economic status and standard of living. Koloa-Poʻipu hosts an organized, supportive Poʻipu Beach Resort Association that organizes and promotes destination marketing and promotion of visitor accommodations/activities on behalf of its membership.

We prepared a corridor management plan for the Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway. We were honored and proud when the Plan received the Community-Based Planning Award from the American Planning Association‐Hawaiʻi Chapter and a Historic Preservation Commendation from Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation.

In ancient Hawai‘i, most of the common people were farmers, a few were fishermen. Tenants cultivated smaller crops for family consumption, to supply the needs of chiefs and provide tributes.

Kapu (restrictions/prohibitions) were observed as a matter of resource and land management, among other things.

Access to resources was tied to residency and earned as a result of taking responsibility to steward the environment and supply the needs of aliʻi.

The social structure reinforced land management.

Dwellings were thatched structures designed primarily for protection against inclement weather. Floors of the houses were raised platforms of lava rock, with small pebble layers. Pili grass was strewn about and all of this was covered with woven lauhala mats. Most activities (i.e. cooking and eating) took place outdoors.

The traditional land use in the Hawaiian Islands evolved from shifting cultivation into a stable form of agriculture. Stabilization required a new form of land use and eventually the ahupua‘a form of land management was instituted.

For hundreds of years since, on the death of all mō‘ī (kings or queens), the new ruler re-divided the land, giving control of it to his or her favorite chiefs.

Each ahupuaʻa in turn was ruled by a lower chief, or aliʻi ʻai. He, in turn, appointed an overseer, or konohiki. (The common people never owned or ruled land.)

The konohiki served as general manager responsible for the use of an ahupuaʻa as a resource system. He, in turn, was assisted by specialists, or luna. For example, the luna wai was responsible for the fresh water flow and irrigation system.

Ahupuaʻa served as a means of managing people and taking care of the people who support them, as well as an easy form of collection of tributes by the chiefs. Ultimately, this helped in preserving resources.

Shaped by island geography, ahupuaʻa varied in shape and size (from as little as 100-acres to more than 100,000-acres.)

A typical ahupuaʻa (what we generally refer to as watersheds, today) was a long strip of land, narrow at its mountain summit top and becoming wider as it ran down a valley into the sea to the outer edge of the reef. If there was no reef then the sea boundary would be about one and a half miles from the shore.

Each ahupuaʻa had its own name and boundary lines. Often the markers were natural features such as a large rock or a line of trees or even the home of a certain bird. A valley ahupuaʻa usually used its ridges and peaks as boundaries.

Additional markers were placed to note the ahupua‘a boundary – so called because the boundary was marked by a heap (ahu) of stones surmounted by an image of a pig (pua‘a,) or because a pig or other tribute was laid on the altar as tax to the chief.

People living in one ahupuaʻa were free to use whatever grew wild in that ahupuaʻa. But a resident of one ahupuaʻa could not take anything from another ahupuaʻa. Boundaries were important and people carefully learned their locations.

In ancient Hawaiian times, relatives and friends exchanged products. The upland dwellers brought poi, taro and other foods to the shore to give to kinsmen there. The shore dweller gave fish and other seafood. Visits were never made empty-handed but always with something from one’s home to give.

Ahupuaʻa contained nearly all the resources Hawaiians required for survival. Fresh water resources were managed carefully for drinking, bathing and irrigation.

Wild and cultivated plants provided food, clothing, household goods, canoes, weapons and countless other useful products. Many land and sea creatures utilized for food also provided bones, teeth, skin and feathers for tools, crafts and ornamentation.

Trees for canoes, house building, idols, etc came from the forest zone. Below the forest, in the Upland area, bamboo, ti and pili grass for thatching houses and were collected.

Within the coastal area and valleys, taro was cultivated in lo‘i; sweet potato, coconut, sugar cane and other food sources thrived in these areas. The shore and reefs provided fish, shellfish and seaweed.

(Image: Ahupua‘a model after Luciano Minerbi 1999, slightly modified. (Mueller-Dombois)) In addition, I have placed older USGS maps (each noting ahupua‘a on respective islands) on my Linked In page (you may have to sign in to LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/peter-t-young/25/868/649 – go to the bottom of the Profile for the folders to see/download respective maps.)

In preparing the Corridor Management Plan for the Scenic Byway on Aliʻi Drive, we recommended that ahupua‘a markers be placed along the corridor to note the historic land divisions. We are recommending the same at Kōloa, Kaua‘i for the Plan we are working on there.

In addition, I posted some recent attempts of modern representations of ancient ahupua‘a boundary markers in parts of the State (primarily Ko‘olaupoko on O‘ahu and Keauhou on Hawai‘i Island.) These are in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

The Kōloa District is the name of a modern political-judicial district encompassing the south shore of Kauaʻi.

In ancient times, the Kōloa District was part of a larger district called Kona. The Kōloa Heritage Trail travels through four ahupuaʻa. From east to west, they are: Māhāʻulepu, Paʻa, Weliweli and Kōloa.

Poʻipū is part of the Kōloa ahupua’a. One meaning of the name Poʻipū is crashing, as in waves crashing.

The Kōloa Heritage Trail is a 10-mile walk, bike ride or drive which includes 14 stops and monuments describing the significance of the location.

1. Spouting Horn Park

Spouting Horn Park was called puhi, or blowhole, by early Hawaiians. Legends tell of a huge mo‘o, or lizard, caught in this puhi, which was formed when waves eroded softer, underlying rock and wore through the harder top rock. Water rushing into the hole is forced through the narrow opening and shoots skyward.

2. Prince Kūhiō Birthplace & Park

Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole was born in Kōloa in a grass hut near this beach to Princess Kinoike Kekaulike and High Chief David Kahalepouli Pi‘ikoi. He became a delegate to U.S. Congress after Hawai`i became a Territory in 1900, serving for 19 years. He worked tirelessly on behalf of the Hawaiian people.

3. Hanakaʻape Bay & Kōloa Landing

Once, Kōloa Landing was the third largest whaling port in all of Hawai`i and the only port of entry for foreign goods. The Sugar industry increased its use until 1912, when better facilities became available elsewhere. Goods and people were transferred by hand and small boat to ships in Hanaka‘ape Bay.

4. Pa‘u a Laka – Moir Gardens

What began as a hobby garden by the Kōloa Plantation Manager’s wife became celebrated as one of the world’s best of its kind. Numerous cactus planted in the 1930s thrived in the arid, rocky soil here. Many escaped to surrounding areas to become naturalized over time. You’ll also find water lily-filled lava rock ponds, koi and a variety of orchid and cactus species.

5. Kihahouna Heiau

The walled heiau (temple) that once stood here was 130 feet by 90 feet; dedicated to Kane, a major god of Hawaii; Hulukoki, a bird god; and Ku-hai-moana and Ka-moho-alii, two shark gods. Three hala-lihilihi-ula trees situated on the outside of the naupaka hedge mark the heiau perimeter.

6. Po‘ipū Beach Park

Abundant, easy-to-view marine life in calm waters is a major attraction at Po‘ipū Beach. The endangered native Hawaiian Monk seal and threatened Green sea turtle are frequent visitors. From November through May, the endangered Humpback whale appears. Ancient Hawaiians fished and played here and harvested salt in dug-out evaporating pans nearby.

7. Keoneloa Bay

Between 200 and 600 A.D., early visitors arrived at Keoneloa Bay, meaning long sand, likely from the Marquesas Islands. They used the area as a temporary fishing camp, leaving behind stone-age tools, remnants of heiau, or temples, and ahu, or altars. They prayed to Kane‘aukai, an important fishing god.

8. Makawehi & Pa‘a Dunes

The lithified sand dunes of Makawehi, calm face, and Pa‘a, hard rock, yield fossilized plant roots, bird bones, crab claws and other treasures. Prior to extensive wave erosion, this prominent limestone ridge extended across Keoneloa Bay. During March through November, water birds visit and sea birds nest and roost in the dunes.

9. Pu‘uwanawana Volcanic Cone

More than 5 million years ago, a hotspot in the earth spewed lava upward to form the volcanic mountain island of Kaua‘i. Nearby Ha‘upu Ridge and Mountain contain some of the oldest geologic formations. Look for the youngest volcanic cones such as Pu‘uwanawana, within view. Weathered volcanic material produced rich agricultural plains.

10. Hapa Road (Hapa Trail)

Lava rock walls near Hapa Road signify Hawaiian habitation ca. 1200 AD, while the road dates to the late 1800s. Nearby tracks once held trains hauling cane to Kōloa Plantation for milling. Hapa Road served as a supply and emergency evacuation route during World War II, and at various times a foot- and bicycle path.

11. Kōloa Jodo Mission

Buddhist temples provided Japanese immigrants a place to worship, study their language, learn martial arts and participate in social events. This Jodo Mission used a specialist in temple architecture from Japan to build the large temple’s interior. Hand-painted, wooden ceiling tiles were a gift from the Japanese artist who rendered them.

12. Sugar Monument

Ancient Polynesians were the first to bring sugar cane to Hawai’i. Starting with its first cane seeding in 1835, Kōloa Plantation was the first in Hawai’i to successfully mill cane commercially for export. It set the precedent for free housing and medical benefits for its immigrant employees from China, Japan, East and West Germany, Portugal and the Philippines.

13. Yamamoto Store & Kōloa Hotel

Built at the turn of the 20th century, The Yamamoto Building functioned at various times as a plantation camp store and general store with service station. Behind it, the Kōloa Hotel offered rooms to traveling salesmen and actors. The o-furo, or hot tub, provided a relaxing soak to guests.

14. Kōloa Missionary Church

Kōloa Missionary Church sanctuary is part of a homestead once owned by Dr. James W. Smith, a medical missionary. In 1842, he began a practice of over 40 years, later becoming an ordained minister at The Church at Kōloa. His grandson, Dr. Alfred Herbert Waterhouse, added a clinic to the homestead in 1933.

The Poʻipū Beach Resort Association and its Po‘ipū Beach Foundation are the major sponsors of the trail map and brochures. You can easily download a descriptive map at: koloaheritagetrail.info

All of these sites are being included as Points of Interest in the Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway; we are working with the Kōloa and Poʻipū communities in preparing the Corridor Management Plan for the Scenic Byway.

In addition, I have added images of each site on the Kōloa Heritage Trail in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

We are proud and honored that the Local Scenic Byway Committee, Mālama Kōloa, Kōloa Community Association, Poʻipū Beach Resort Association and Hoʻokuleana LLC were awarded the 2012 Historic Preservation Commendation for the Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway project from the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation.

Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway is situated on the South Shore of the island of Kauaʻi (in the Old Kōloa Town, running down and through the Poʻipū Beach resort area – out through Māhāʻulepu.)

Here, there are many scenic, natural and recreational qualities that travelers along the Byway may experience and enjoy. Along the coastal area of Poʻipū there are popular beaches for swimming, surfing, snorkeling, scuba or sunset watching.

But the focus of interest along the Holo Holo Kōloa corridor is the region‘s history and the role this area played in helping to shape Hawaiʻi‘s socio-economic past, present and future.

As noted in Carol Wilcox’s book, The Kauaʻi Album, “The history of Kōloa is in many ways Hawai‘i’s history in microcosm.”

Holo Holo Kōloa gives the traveler a look at the historic and socio-economic evolution of the Hawaiian Islands. Here many “firsts” took place that ultimately guided this transformation.

This is a corridor with many stories to tell, under the backdrop of its impressive scenic beauty.

Last year, the State Department of Transportation designated Holo Holo Kōloa as a State Scenic Byway.

We assisted in the designation process and are now working with the community in preparing the Corridor Management Plan (CMP) for the project.

The CMP is prepared to address issues related to management of the corridor, but, more importantly, is used to submit the application to Federal Highways for National designation.

State and National Scenic Byways designations recognize roads that exhibit one or more six core intrinsic qualities – scenic, natural, historic, recreational, archaeological or cultural – contributing towards a unique travel experience.

Overall, the Scenic Byways Program is for:

roads that tell a special story;

roads with outstanding intrinsic qualities that need recognition or protection; and

roads that will benefit from a coordinated strategy for tourism and economic development

There are over 20 primary Points of Interest along the corridor, including Tree Tunnel, Kōloa Sugar Monument, Old Kōloa Town, Kōloa Sugar Mill, several Churches, National Tropical Botanical Garden, various Puʻu and Bays.

This is our second Scenic Byway and Corridor Management Plan assignment. We previously prepared the Plan for Royal Footsteps Along the Kona Coast, on Ali’i Drive on the Big Island (the first CMP to be approved in the State.)

We are also very proud of that project; Royal Footsteps received several awards, including Historic Preservation Commendation from Historic Hawaii Foundation; Environment/Preservation award from the American Planning Association-Hawai‘i Chapter; and Pualu Award for Culture and Heritage from the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce.

In the coming weeks, I will be sharing some of the highlights on some of the Point of Interest sites that are included in the Scenic Byway.

I am honored and proud to share with you some great news we just received concerning a project we are working on.

Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway will be recognized with a Preservation Commendation from Historic Hawai‘i Foundation at its 2012 Preservation Honor Awards ceremony for outstanding efforts in preservation through planning and designation of the Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway.

This award is being given to Kōloa Community Association, Mālama Koloa, Po‘ipū Beach Resort Association, HDOT Hawai’i Scenic Byways Program and Ho‘okuleana LLC.

Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway, recently designated a State Scenic Byway, is situated in the historic

Old Kōloa Town and runs down and through the Po’ipu Beach resort area on Kaua‘i’s South Shore.

This region is steeped in history and its various points of interest tell the stories of Hawaii’s people and its evolving socio-economic past.

Along this corridor are significant historic, archaeological, cultural, natural, recreational and scenic resources.

Holo Holo Kōloa gives the traveler a look at the historic and socio-economic evolution of the Hawaiian Islands.

Here many “firsts” took place that ultimately guided this transformation. This is a corridor with many stories to tell, under the backdrop of its impressive scenic and natural beauty.

We have been assisting Holo Holo Kōloa Scenic Byway in the State designation process, as well as preparing the Corridor Management Plan for the Scenic Byway.

This is our second Scenic Byway project. We also prepared the Corridor Management Plan for the Royal Footsteps Along The Kona Coast.

Royal Footsteps also received a Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Preservation Commendation, as well as an APA-Hawai‘i Environment-Preservation Award and a Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Pualu Award for Culture & Heritage.

Images of Old Hawaiʻi

People, places, and events in Hawaiʻi’s past come alive through text and media in “Images of Old Hawaiʻi.” These posts are informal historic summaries presented for personal, non-commercial, and educational purposes.

Hoʻokuleana LLC

Hoʻokuleana LLC is a Planning and Consulting firm assisting property owners with Land Use Planning efforts, including Environmental Review, Entitlement Process, Permitting, Community Outreach, etc. We are uniquely positioned to assist you in a variety of needs.